1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an attachment clip suitable for a vehicle and an attachment structure using the attachment clip.
2. Description of Related Art
FIGS. 1 to 4 show an attachment clip which is used to attach car components, such as heat shield plate for insulating heat of a muffler etc. underside the vehicle, that are apt to be influenced by heat.
In the attachment structure using the attachment clip like this, a vehicle body 1a is provided, on its underside 1a, with an under-panel 2 as an “attached” member.
In the under-panel 2, a floor tunnel 2a is formed so as to swell upward at a substantial center in the width direction of the vehicle, having a hat-shaped section.
Attached below the floor tunnel 2a is a heat shield plate 4 which shields the under-panel 2 from heat of a muffler 3, as an “attaching” member.
On the under-panel 2, bolts 5 are arranged to project downward through through-holes 4a of the heat shielding plate 4.
Through the heat shielding plate 4, each of the bolts 5 has a shank 5a that is engaged with an attachment clip 6. The attachment clip 6 has an abutting part 6a in the form of a circular plate, for abutment on the lower face of the shielding plate 4. The abutting part 6a is provided, at a center thereof, with a shank hole 6b into which the shank 5a of the bolt 5 is to be inserted.
About the periphery of the circular abutting part 6a, a pair of claw parts 6c, 6c are formed to extend outward while interposing the shank hole 6b therebetween. On the way to extend outward, each of the claw parts 6c, 6c is folded back and downward to enable its elastic deformation.
The claw parts 6c, 6c have respective oblique sides 6d, 6d each formed, in its folded state, with a designated angle so as to follow an angle of respective thread ridges on the shank 5a. 
Further, the attachment clip 6 is provided, between the abutting part 6a and the shank hole 6b, with a slanted guide part 6e. In production, this slanted guide part 6e is formed at the same time of punching a sheet metal into the attachment clip 6. Alternatively, the slanted guide part 6e may be formed by means of squeezing succeeding to the punching process of a sheet metal.
While arranging the lower face of the floor tunnel 2a over the heat shielding plate 4, the so-formed attachment clip 6 is fitted to the shank 5a of the bolt 5 projecting from the through-hole 4a of the heat shielding plate 4 downward.
In the process of fitting the attachment clip 6, the leading end of the shank 5a of the bolt 5 comes into contact with the slanted guide part 6e. Then, owing to its slanted configuration, the slanted guide part 6e serves to introduce the leading end of the shank 5b into the shank hole 6b, thereby aligning the bolt 5 with the attachment clip 6 and allowing the shank 5b to be inserted into the shank hole 6b with ease.
Subsequently, the oblique sides 6d, 6d of the claw parts 6c, 6c surmount the thread ridges on the shank 5a, so that the bolt 5 is engaged with the attachment clip 6.
In a state that the heat shielding plate 4 is attached to the lower face of the under-panel 3 while being urged toward the under-panel 2 along the axial direction of the bolt 5 by the elastic forces of the claw parts 6c, 6, the attachment clip 6 is carried so as not to fall off the bolt 5.
In this way, the attachment clip 6 in the earlier technology enables a worker to attach the heat shielding plate 4 to the under-panel 2 easily and blind in spite of restricted working circumstances, for example, the underside of vehicle.
Noted that since the attachment clip 6 is made of metal exhibiting high heat-resistance in comparison with resinous clips, there is no possibility of melting despite that the attachment clip 6 comes in direct contact with the heat shielding plate 4 shielding heat from the muffler 3.